The Kind Of Girl You Read About - Maru and Penny Heart Events
by SunriseFarm
Summary: Maru and Penny have been friends since childhood. Recently, they've been getting closer.
1. Chapter 1

"Hey, Dad. I have a favor to ask you." Maru stood just outside the lab, fidgeting with her hair. "Or maybe it's more like a teaching opportunity, I dunno…"

"What's up, sweetie?" Demetrius jotted down a few numbers in his notepad, not looking up.

"Well, Mom's at the farm, upgrading the coop, and tonight's Friday...are you going to the Saloon?"

Demetrius snapped his head up. "Why?"

Maru took a step back. "Well," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, "I was hoping you could teach me to two-step. Please?"

"Is that all?" Demetrius laughed. "I was thinking you were gonna ask me to borrow my astrophotography camera!"

Maru laughed right back. "And I was thinking you were thinking I was gonna ask you to buy me beer!"

"OH! Right! That would have been disappointing!" Demetrius cringed. "Wow, how did I miss that one? Maybe because you're such a nerd."

"Takes one to know one, Dad!"

"Why do you wanna learn how to two-step, anyway?"

Maru was silent.

"Wait, do you have a sunburn?"

Maru laughed nervously.

"Your face is all red."

"I'm just blushing, Dad!"

"Oh." Demetrius was silent for a second. "OH! You wanna dance with someone, huh?" He stepped back from his lab table, hands in his pockets, and walked toward Maru. "You know you're my special little girl, right? You have such a bright future ahead of you. I wouldn't want anything to get in the way of that." He clapped a hand down on her shoulder. "I trust your judgment, though. Now who is he, who do you want to dance with?"

"Penny." Maru's voice was so small, Demetrius barely heard her.

"Did you say Penny?"

"Yeah, Dad. She knows how to two-step, and she complains that nobody else around here does, so I want to learn, and then dance with her at the Luau."

"Okay, that's adorable!" Demetrius let out a sigh of relief and a hearty laugh, both at once. "I remember when I used to take you to the library when you were a little toddler, and you'd spend the whole time following Penny around, pointing at her textbooks like, 'What's that? What's that?' And she'd always tell you. She's a good egg, she was so patient with you when you were kids."

Maru giggled. "You know, I kinda remember that! I've always been interested in whatever she's reading, even when it was way over my head."

"So you're probably gonna want to learn to lead, right? So she can follow?" Demetrius wrinkled his brow. "This might get clumsy, but I bet we can figure it out. I'm not great at following." He picked up his notebook. "Let me just get these seeds in the sodium hydroxide solution. These are the salmonberry seeds I was telling you about, I'll be testing them for embryonic diseases. The sodium hydroxide will eat away at the seed until only the embryo remains, and then we can check the embryos out under the microscope. Anyway, once I get the seeds in the solution, I can change, and then we can head down to the saloon."

"Oh, good, that'll give me a chance to clean up. Thanks, Dad!"

Before long, Demetrius and Maru had made their way down the mountain, through the town square. They were so busy discussing the genetic mutations of maize that they almost didn't see Penny walking home.

Demetrius was the first to see her. "Penny!"

Maru nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Good evening, sir," Penny turned around and waved, then rushed over when she saw Maru. "Hey! Maru, what are you doing out tonight?"

Demetrius didn't let her answer. "We're going to the saloon so Maru here can learn to two-step! She wants to dance with you, wanna tag along?"

Maru slumped down in an anguished cringe. Her cheeks were burning. Her palms started to sweat.

"I'm not a big fan of the saloon," Penny said coldly. "And I'd hate to run into my mother after she's been drinking. You two go on ahead."

"Wait!"

"No, Dad, it's fine, she really doesn't like being around alcohol…" Maru whispered frantically.

"Maru, do you have your fold-out acoustic enhancer with you?"

"Um...yes? I keep it with me in my wallet so I can listen to music at the clinic when I'm organizing patient records."

"Wait, your what?" Penny giggled. "You have a gadget for everything, don't you?"

"Not yet," Maru said shyly. "That's the goal, though."

"Alright. Maru, get that thing out. I got some country music on my phone, a couple of Wayne Rivers albums from early in his career."

"I love Wayne Rivers!" Penny squealed. "I just wish his comeback would have sounded more like his old stuff."

Maru unfolded her gadget. It was the size of a business card, yet folded out to perfectly support a smartphone, amplify the audio, and direct it forward. "Wait, Dad, what are we doing?"

"Learning to two-step without going to the saloon!"

Maru's jaw dropped.

"Penny, may I have your help? Or would you rather me explain the dance frame and the steps by using Maru?"

"I'll help!" She ran over to Maru, held on to Maru's waist, gently took Maru's other hand, and lifted it to shoulder height. Maru put her hand on Penny's hip, and they were ready to dance.

Demetrius laughed. "Oh, we're not there yet! May I cut in, Penny? Maru hasn't even seen the two-step being done before. She knows some ballroom stuff, she knows some breakdance stuff, she knows some ballet, but two-step is completely foreign to her."

Maru and Penny both giggled.

"Yes, sir." Penny stepped back from Maru and turned to face Demetrius. She gingerly placed a hand on his waist, then took his hand.

"Now, Maru, Penny and I are gonna take a spin around the town square. You'll notice that the size and shape of the dance frame stays fairly consistent, at least for now. To start, you'll step forward with your right foot, as Penny steps back with her left."

Demetrius led Penny around the dance floor in that basic, technically perfect, emotionless and exaggerated way a person teaching a dance does. Penny followed his lead, in terms of steps, and in terms of emotion.

The three of them danced for nearly two hours, practicing steps and spins and holds, listening to the same song on repeat play since it had the perfect tempo for an easy two-step. Demetrius bumbled his way through following, so he could better teach Maru to lead. The two of them were spinning around the dance floor when Robin walked by. She looked exhausted, but her face lit up as she heard the music and saw her husband and her daughter dancing together.

"Hi Robin!" Penny waved. "He's teaching Maru to two-step. Let's cut in!"

Robin giggled. Her and Penny approached Demetrius and Maru, and Robin tapped Maru's shoulder. Maru stepped back, and Penny wrapped an arm around her.

"May I have this dance?"

"Of course!" Maru laughed. She held onto Penny's hip, took her hand, and stepped forward in a messy, imperfect dance punctuated by laughter.


	2. Chapter 2

It was a warm and cloudy day, the kind of day where the sky and the sea seem to melt into each other in a gray haze while dark clouds crawl through the damp air. Maru sat on the edge of the eastern pier, totally engrossed in her book. She felt the wood move as someone came up behind her, but didn't bother to look up. She was at a good part.

Penny sat down beside her and looked over her shoulder. "What are you reading?"

That got Maru to look up. She smiled and showed Penny the cover. "The Dragon Riders of Seradona. Finally."

"I'm so glad you're reading it! It's one of my favorites!" Penny was practically squealing. "Have you gotten to the part about Princess Ulara at the ball yet?"

"No!"

"Well, I won't spoil it." Penny bit her lip, literally trying to hold back information. "But! Imagine a scene with a princess at a ball! Then come to terms with the fact that it will be nothing like that."

Maru laughed. "I'll remember that!" She showed Penny the page she was on. "I'm at the part where Tam and Syla are sabotaging the orcs' siege engine."

"Oh, I love that part! Tam is such a great character. I love his story arc."

"He seems kinda like a jerk to me," Maru said.

"He does, at first," Penny agreed.

"But I like Syla. I might have to go home and read the rest of this chapter, since it's getting darker outside."

Penny looked up at the sky. What had been a gray mist was now a dark monster, with full, wet clouds rolling in over the sea. "Wow, that storm is close."

"Yeah." Maru put her bookmark in and closed the book. "It looks like the clouds are sitting right on top of the ocean-"

Their peace was shattered by a bright flash and a crack of thunder louder than anything either of them had heard before. Penny shrieked.

Maru grabbed her wrist. "Run!"

"Where?!"

"Fish shop! It's close and it's covered!"

Maru and Penny sprinted along the pier, toward the fish shop. As they ran, the thick clouds opened up, dropping sheets of heavy rain.

By the time they got to the shop, both Maru and Penny were soaked. Penny's clothing stuck to her. Her hair, normally perfectly coiffed, hung limply between her shoulder blades. The ends were ragged and her hair was surprisingly thin. Maru didn't look much better. Her shirt and overalls were heavy with rain, and her meticulously straightened hair was frizzy and coily.

Both girls were panting and laughing, trying to catch their breath and glad they'd made it inside alive.

"Hey, ladies!" Willy came down from upstairs. "That's one heck of a storm out there, I'm glad you came in. Would you like some trout soup?"

Penny cringed. "Well, I can't really afford-"

"Two bowls, please!" Maru set her book down and got 500G from her pocket.

"Thanks, Maru."

"Of course! No problem."

Willy looked at Maru's book. "What's that? The Dragon Riders of Seradona, huh?"

"Yeah!" Maru slid it closer. "It's about an army of orcs marching across a continent, conquering and enslaving anyone they can. The citizens of the kingdom of Seradona are not here for that nonsense…"

Penny giggled, and quickly put a hand over her mouth.

"...so they organize themselves into an army! And they ride dragons! Until the orcs showed up, they were peaceful farmers, using tamed dragons for agriculture and trade. The Princess Ulara encourages them to resist, even though her father, the King, wants to form an alliance with the orcs! He's not very smart."

"So the leader of the resistance...is a princess? How does that work?"

Penny answered. "She's awesome! She's smart, she cares more about doing what's right than doing what the kingdom expects of her, she's passionate, she works hard, she comes up with these amazingly creative ideas…" She turned to Maru, who was listening and nodding. "She kind of reminds me of you."

Maru smiled. She could feel her cheeks getting hot, and hoped the darkness of the shop and the clouds would hide her blushing.

"So, an awesome princess and a bunch of dragon-taming farmers versus some orcs. That sounds interesting!" Willy set down two bowls of trout soup, along with spoons and napkins. "Take your time, ladies, I'll let you stay until the storm lets up."


	3. Chapter 3

As soon as Penny opened the door to the Clinic, she was hit with a wall of noise. She heard beeps and tones from medical equipment. She heard Dr. Harvey calling a string of medical jargon and numbers across the room. She heard an unfamiliar man calling right back. She heard a kid crying and a woman comforting them.

She waited at the counter. She was glad she was at least a couple minutes early for her appointment; she wasn't sure she'd make it due to the snow. If she would have known it was so busy, and if she would have known the weather would be so miserable, she would have called to reschedule.

She took off her coat. The noise continued. She examined one of Dr. Harvey's business cards, then tossed it back in the stack. She picked up one of the clinic's pens, taped to a tongue depressor, and tried to twirl it around over her fingers. It fell to the counter. She put it back. It was two minutes past her appointment time. Harvey usually got her back to the exam room early, but today was a busy day.

"Penny?" Maru stepped up to the counter.

"Maru! I'm surprised to see you here!"

"I'm surprised to see me here, too! It's my day off!" She laughed and rolled her eyes. "Seriously, though, are you here for urgent care?"

"No, thank goodness! I just have an appointment for my yearly exam."

"Okay. Things are a little crazy here, I'll let the doctor know you're here, just have a seat-"

The door swung open, letting in a gust of wind, a flurry of snow, and a very angry Clint who was holding his arm and cussing up a pollution.

"Is it an emergency?" Maru grabbed a clipboard full of registration paperwork and set it on the counter.

"Yes!" Clint lifted his arm and pulled back his sleeve just enough to give Maru and Penny a glimpse of a badly burned hand.

"Oh! Come on back to the treatment room." She turned to Penny and gave her an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, your appointment will probably be at least 15 minutes late."

"That's fine, you're busy!" Penny picked up the clipboard. "Clint, you need help filling this out, right?"

Maru held the double doors to the treatment room. As they walked in, she gave Penny a warm smile. "Thanks. You only need to do the first page, we have the rest of his stuff on file."

"Sounds good. Poor guy!" Penny and Clint hurried to a procedure room.

Maru hurried around the room, grabbing medical supplies and paging the doctor. She pulled up the sleeve on Clint's good arm and tied a tourniquet to start an IV.

"Clint, for the paperwork, how did this happen?" Penny sat attentively, ready to capture his answers with a tongue depressor pen.

Clint answered. The only words that Penny was willing to write down were "furnace" and "burn."

Maru grabbed a needle. "Clint, you'll feel a small pinch." She wasn't entirely sure he heard her; then again, she wasn't entirely sure he'd actually feel the pinch, either, because his pain was so severe.

Penny tapped her pen on the paper. "On a scale of zero to ten, where zero is no pain and ten is the worst pain ever-"

"TEN!" Clint bellowed. He let out a few more swear words.

Maru secured the IV, untied the tourniquet, and flushed the line. "I'll be right back with the doctor."

Penny continued with her questions. "What medications are you on?"

"Pravolox," he said, exhaling sharply. "Brozac, Panax. That's it."

"Any herbs or supplements?"

As Clint was letting out another barrage of cuss words, Maru and Harvey walked in.

"You need pain medication!" Harvey was wearing bright blue gloves and carrying a syringe. He hooked it up to Clint's IV line and pushed the liquid in. "This should at least take the edge off."

Penny handed the clipboard to Maru. "I got as much information as I could, but we didn't get through the whole thing. Sorry…"

"No, this is good!" Maru looked over the paper. "We know he's on Pravoloxinone so we can make sure the hospital gives it to him tomorrow morning."

"Wait, I'm going to the hospital?"

"Oh, a full sentence with no swearing!" Maru smiled at Clint and gave him a thumbs-up.

"Yes, you are," Harvey said. "You have a full-thickness burn on your hand. We've called Zuzu General, they're expecting you, and all we're waiting for is transport." He sat down next to Clint. "With this pain medicine on board, what is your pain level?"

"Nine."

"Okay. I'm going to give you more pain medicine, do a quick exam, and by then, transport should be here." He turned to Maru. "Will you please set Penny up in Exam 2?"

"Yes, sir."

Maru led Penny to an exam room in the back of the clinic. "Have a seat."

Penny sat down and giggled nervously.

Maru hit a few keys on the exam room computer. "It looks like the last time you were here wasn't too long ago, Fall 18 for the flu, right?"

"Yes, that was awful."

"Has your medical history changed at all?"

"No."

"Well, then, all I need to do is take your vitals."

"Okay."

"I can't promise that Dr. Harvey will be in right away," Maru said. She sounded exhausted. "Today has just been so busy with emergencies! I got called in at 7:00 this morning."

"Oh no!"

"Yeah, there was an emergency house call and Harvey needed my help with it. We've been running non-stop ever since."

"Wow! I hope things slow down for you soon."

"Me too." Maru rolled a blood pressure machine over to Penny. "Thanks again for helping Clint with his paperwork." She gave Penny another warm smile. "You're always so willing to help, that's one of the things that I love about you."

Penny could feel her cheeks getting hot. She looked down toward the floor and smiled.

"Now let's get those vitals!" Maru put the blood pressure cuff on Penny's arm and pressed a button. While the machine did its thing, Maru grabbed a temporal thermometer and slid it across Penny's forehead.

"Your temperature is normal, blood pressure is good, and...your pulse is a little fast."

"Well, you know…" Penny's voice trailed off. She could feel her face getting even hotter.

"I don't think it's a problem," Maru said, "today has been stressful. I'll have Harvey take your pulse again when he gets in."

With that, Maru left the room.

"Did she just say…" Penny whispered, to nobody in particular, "ONE of the things she loves about me?" She giggled and leaned back in her chair.


	4. Chapter 4

Penny quietly poured out the jar full of coins on to her bed, using her blanket to muffle the sound. She counted them carefully, separating them by denomination, then putting each pile of like coins in a separate cloth pouch. She was nearly buzzing with excitement; she'd have enough to buy what she wanted!

She loaded her purse with pouches of coins. Then she grabbed her shoes and tiptoed past her sleeping mother, out of the trailer. After gently closing and locking the door, she sat on the plastic chair and got her shoes on.

She stood slowly, taking care not to make the chair knock into the metal wall of the trailer. Then she held her purse with both hands and broke into a silent jog toward the town square. As she passed the Stardrop Saloon, she heard a whistle.

"Hey, Sensei!" Sam waved and jogged up to her. "What's the hurry?"

"Nothing anymore," she said. She brushed her bangs out of her face. "Just trying to get out of the house before my mom wakes up."

"How come?"

"Because I actually have spending money and something to spend it on. And if my mother knew that, she'd send me to Joja to pick up beer or headache pills for her." She rolled her eyes and took a deep breath. "I already buy most of the groceries; all of my food and all of the pantry staples come from my pay. She only buys the frozen dinners. I buy my clothes, I buy my shoes, I pay the rent when she can't…"

"Tell me about it!" Sam laughed. "I've been trying to save up for winter boots for years! And something always happens to wipe out my savings...I get hurt, or Vincent gets hurt, or something breaks in the house…" He gave Penny a tired smile. "I'm just glad Sebastian pays for the pool table on Friday nights and gets me a Joja Cola. What are you buying, anyway?"

"A bouquet."

"WHAT!" Sam roared with laughter. "For who?"

"Maru."

"Oh my Yoba, that's freaking awesome!" He laughed again. "That totally makes sense, too, I always knew you two were close. Maybe not that close, but then again, maybe so. I mean, you are always together lately."

"I know, right?" Penny giggled. "I'm so nervous, though. I mean, what if she doesn't like me in the same way? What if she just thinks of me as a big sister type?" She sighed and looked at her well-worn shoes. "And honestly, there's nothing like falling for someone rich and beautiful and interesting to remind me of how poor and plain I really am."

"Penelope Fern, you stop that talk right now! And yes I will use your middle name! Being poor is not a fault. And you are not half as plain as you think. You are beautiful. You are nice, and helpful, and creative...you're one of those people who just radiates warmth and kindness, like a young and pretty Granny Evelyn."

Penny gave him a nervous laugh.

Sam gave her a hearty pat on the back, right between the shoulder blades, and nudged her toward Pierre's. "Now get in there and buy that bouquet for your girl!"

"Thanks, Sam." She walked up to the door of Pierre's, took a breath, and went inside.

"Good morning, Penny! I just got a shipment of melons, fresh from the greenhouse!"

"No thank you," she said quickly, "I'm here for a bouquet, please."

"How sweet!" Pierre opened the cooler behind the counter and pulled out a bouquet. He wrapped it in paper. "And what's your sweetie's favorite color?"

"Purple."

"Then I'll tie it with an iridium purple ribbon." Pierre wrapped ribbon around the paper and deftly tied a big bow. "That'll be 200G, please."

"Got it!" Penny excitedly reached in her purse and pulled out four pouches. She set them down on the counter. "Here's 100," she said as she pointed, "here's fifty, here's thirty, and here's twenty, for a total of 200."

Pierre opened each pouch, counting it out as it went into the register. "I'm not used to seeing this much change."

Penny cringed. "Sorry...I've been saving my coins."

"No, don't worry about it, please!" Pierre gave her a warm smile. "Good luck."

Penny put the pouches back in her purse and picked up the bouquet. This was getting real! "Thank you, Pierre."

She left the shop and immediately headed up the mountain. Without a backpack, she had to carry the bouquet in her arms. It was a big one! She hoped Demetrius and Robin would be out; she wanted a quiet moment with Maru alone. As she got up to the house, she slowed down to catch her breath.

With another deep breath to calm her nerves, Penny opened the door. She saw Robin standing at the register, and fought to keep a straight face.

"Penny! Hi! I'm guessing that's not for me."

Penny forced a little giggle. "You're right. But next time I can get a peach, I'll bring it up."

"That's so sweet! Thanks." She gestured to her right. "Maru's in her room."

Penny walked in without knocking, just as she'd done for years. She found Maru elbows-deep in a piece of medical equipment, with parts scattered all over the floor of her room. Her hair was covered with a bandanna, wild curls sticking out the back.

"Maru…?"

"Hi Penny! Just a second!" Maru clunked around in the machine for a couple seconds, set her wrench down, and climbed to her feet. "What's up?"

The bouquet caught Maru's attention. Her eyes widened.

Penny stepped forward. "It's for you."

"You want to get more serious?" She breathed a sigh of relief. "I feel the same way."

"I'm glad." Penny handed Maru the bouquet.

Maru took the flowers in one hand, and wrapped Penny up in a hug with her other arm. "This is awesome, Penny. Thank you. I'm about due for a break, so I'll put these in water and make us some coffee. You take yours with just cream, right?"


	5. Chapter 5

"Penny,

Meet me at the bench in front of the Saloon at 3:00pm on Friday. Be prepared to dance, and to stay out late. -Maru"

Penny read the note again and checked the time. It was only 2:48. She had plenty of time. What exactly did Maru mean by "prepared to dance," anyway? Penny had tried her best to prepare; she was wearing comfortable ballet flats and her blue sundress, and she'd eaten a salad and had more than enough water. At least "prepared to stay out late" made a bit more sense. She'd slept in, left a note for her mother, and had a coffee.

"Hey, Penny!" Maru trotted over from the town square. She walked up to the bench and gave Penny a hug. "I hope you haven't been waiting too long."

"Only all week since I got your letter!" Penny giggled. "You look great."

Maru shrugged and smiled. "Thanks. It was hard to figure out what to wear, this isn't exactly a t-shirt and overalls occasion." She was wearing a western-style button down shirt with a star pattern, deep indigo jeans, and new cowboy boots.

"What kind of occasion is it, anyway?"

Maru pulled an envelope out of her pocket. "I got us tickets to see Wayne Rivers in Zuzu City."

"WHAT?!"

"The concert's at a place called the Fairy Rose, I hope I can find it. I got us VIP access so we can be out on the dance floor in front of the stage instead of off to the sides like the General Admission tickets. The bus leaves at 3:15, so we should have time to-"

"Maru!" Penny's voice broke as she interrupted. "Did you say the Fairy Rose?"

"Yeah…" Maru shifted her weight nervously. "I know it's billed as a 'Saloon and Concert Hall' but all the alcohol will be in the balcony seating…"

"Maru, no, this is amazing! We're going to see Wayne Rivers at THE Fairy Rose! The same Fairy Rose that he sings about! That place is so important to the Zuzu City country music scene! Haven't you heard of it?!" Penny threw her arms around Maru. "I've been hearing about this concert on the radio for months, and there's just no way I could go alone, I couldn't even afford the bus fare…" She sniffled hard. She was crying.

"I'm just glad you like it! I was worried because you said his comeback stuff isn't very good, but I know you love his old stuff, so this was kind of a gamble…"

"You win!" Penny laughed. "You totally, completely win!"

"I'm so glad." She put her hand on the small of Penny's back. "Let's head for the bus."

When they got to the Fairy Rose, the line stretched around the block. Maru marched right up to the front door, with Penny following nervously behind her. Sure enough, there was a line marked "VIP Access."

The bouncer, a burly redneck with a baseball cap and a Ferngill flag tattoo, blocked the entrance. He checked tickets and searched each party coming in, then gave them wristbands.. When Maru and Penny got to the front of the line, Maru quickly stepped behind Penny. She handed the bouncer the tickets, from behind Penny.

"Maru, party of two," he said. "That you?"

"Yes, sir." They answered in unison.

He patted the top of the small table off to his side. "Purse goes here, ma'am. Any cameras, recording devices, glass bottles, alcohol, or weapons that I should know about?"

"No, sir." Penny watched him search through her purse. He found nothing but tissues, makeup, and a drawing of a Rock Crab that Vincent had made earlier that day.

He boredly strapped on a wristband. "Alright, ma'am, this is your VIP Iridium wristband, it gives you access to the dance floor and-"

"Penny!" Maru gave the "cut" sign to the bouncer. "Will you please hurry inside and get us a couple bottles of water? I have money for you." She handed Penny a couple bills. As soon as the bouncer finished securing Penny's wristband, she went inside.

"Purse, ma'am?" The bouncer asked Maru.

"No, sir."

"Anything I should know about in your pockets? Cameras, recording devices, alcohol, glass bottles, weapons?"

"No, sir."

"I'll have to pat you down." He reached for Maru's pockets.

"Wait!" Maru shoved her hands in her pockets. "I'll empty them. You can pat me down when I'm done, but I have something fragile in here."

"Okay."

Maru emptied her pockets, got her pat-down, and put the things back in without incident. The bouncer strapped on her wristband and gave his spiel. "This is your VIP Iridium wristband, it gives you access to the dance floor and the backstage area. Backstage access is only allowed after the show, you are to speak with security before exiting through the northwest stage door. Please remember that the Fairy Rose is not responsible for theft or loss of valuables. Thank you."

"And thank you!" Maru practically pranced inside.

The concert itself was amazing. Wayne Rivers seemed to know that his new album was getting a chilly reception; he only played the two singles, and devoted the rest of the show to his old stuff. The crowd went wild when he mentioned the Fairy Rose by name. Maru and Penny were out on the dance floor for every song they could two-step to, firmly rebuffing all the guys' attempts to cut in.

The encore was a party anthem. Penny got out on the floor to line dance. Maru stayed behind, positioning herself as close to the security guard by the northwest door as she could.

As the song ended, Penny walked up to Maru and wrapped her up from behind. "That was awesome!" She was breathing hard.

"You're good!" Maru opened up the one remaining water bottle and gave it to Penny. "I didn't know you could line dance like that!"

"Thanks." She downed half the bottle of water. "Line dancing was the thing to do in high school. We'd all go to the all ages night at the Stampede nightclub in Grampleton...Emily, Shane, and Alex would always be there, Sam showed up sometimes…" She giggled. "I haven't thought of that place in years!"

"That's awesome! I wouldn't have thought of Emily as a country music fan."

"She wasn't, really. She was more of a people fan. She wanted to hang out with her friends, and her friends were at the honky tonk, so that's where she was." Penny took another big drink, then handed the bottle back to Maru. "What time does the bus leave?"

"There's one at 10:30 tonight that we definitely won't make, one at 11:30 that we probably won't make, one at 12:30 that we might not make, and then they start again at 6:30 tomorrow morning."

Penny took Maru's hand. "Well, then, let's grab a snack at the food truck you were talking about and hurry to the bus stop. I bet we could still make the 10:30 bus."

"No, we're not done here," Maru said.

"What, are you going to look at the merchandise?"

Maru broke out in a wide smile. "We have VIP Iridium wristbands...that means we're going backstage!"

"WHAT?!" Penny grabbed her purse from Maru. "Oh Yoba, do I look okay?" She immediately grabbed her makeup bag and pulled out a mirror.

"You look beautiful," Maru said. "You always do. And tonight you look even prettier than usual."

"Thank you." She leaned in closer and whispered conspiratorially, despite the roar of the crowd leaving the saloon behind her. "But...do I look too poor? I've had this dress since high school, I haven't gotten a haircut in ages, my nails aren't painted, my shoes are secondhand..."

"Penny. No." Maru kissed her cheek. "Your dress still looks nearly new, you're having a good hair day, and I bet those shoes were barely worn before you got them. Nobody's gonna be critiquing your clothes, and you always look polished and pulled together, even in sweatpants." She laughed. "Besides, you've got a big ol' iridium wristband on!"

"Thanks, Maru. It's hard for me to step outside myself and realize just how much people won't notice about me sometimes."

"Iridium wristbands, ladies?" The security guard opened the door.

Backstage, a small crowd had already gathered. There were a few people in radio station t-shirts, band members, and roadies. Maru and Penny were trailed by about half a dozen others with iridium wristbands.

Maru leaned in toward Penny. "Help me out here, which one's Wayne Rivers? All I remember is the brown cowboy hat, and I'm seeing a few of those."

Penny laughed, she couldn't help it. "He's the one in the white t-shirt, no hat. He changed clothes after the show."

"Well, that's not very fair!"

"Hi, ladies, don't be shy!" Wayne walked up to Maru and Penny. The other fans pushed them out of the way and immediately mobbed the singer for autographs and selfies.

"Ugh, sorry about that." A plump, friendly-looking woman in a radio station t-shirt walked up to Maru and Penny, past Wayne and the crowd. "Would you two like to have a seat? We have pizza over here, along with water, Joja Cola, beer…"

"Thanks!" Maru grabbed a bottle of water and a slice of pizza, then plopped down in a giant beanbag chair.

Penny took a seat beside her and rested her head on Maru's shoulder. "It's so good to sit down, I'm getting tired."

"My name is Kathy, by the way." The radio station lady sat down in the beanbag chair next to them.

"Oh, from the Kathy and Bob show!" Penny clasped her hands in front of her chest. "I know you! I listen to you every day!" She sat up and reached out a hand. "My name is Penny. This is Maru, my girlfriend."

Maru waved and nodded. Her mouth was full of pizza.

While Wayne was busy with the fans, and Penny and Kathy were catching up on the gossip from the show, Maru finished her pizza and walked off. Penny saw her talking to someone who appeared to be a stagehand, over by the lighting and sound controller. To Maru's credit, it did look like a fascinating piece of equipment. The stagehand let Maru press a button, and the curtain closed.

Slowly, the other fans trickled away from Wayne. Some grabbed pizza and beer, some talked to Kathy and Bob or the band, some just left. The stagehand walked up to Wayne and spoke with him. Both men looked over at Maru, who was still admiring the lighting system. Penny wondered if she'd try to reverse-engineer it.

"Ma'am?" Wayne gently tapped Penny on the shoulder.

"OH!" Penny turned around giggled nervously. "Hi! Sorry! My name is Penny." She shook his hand, hoping he wouldn't notice her trembling. "I've been a huge fan of yours ever since I was a little girl."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Penny."

"I never thought I'd be able to see one of your concerts in person! But my girlfriend, Maru-she's the one ogling your lighting and sound-bought us bus tickets from Pelican Town and VIP wristbands, she knows I love to dance."

"I can tell!" Wayne laughed. "I actually have an okay view of the dance floor in this venue, and I saw you out there all the time. I don't think you missed a song, did you? I know your girl sat out a few of them, she doesn't like to line dance?"

"She doesn't know how. Honestly, she's not much of a country music fan. She only learned to two-step so she could dance with me."

"She learned to dance for you? And she bought you tickets and came with you to the Rose? Honey, that girl is a keeper, and don't you forget it."

Maru waved Penny over.

"You like that control system, huh?"

"Yeah, it's amazing! I bet I could make something like it. Sebastian's band needs one." She paused for a second and glanced behind Penny's shoulder. "Hey, you think they'd let us go out on stage?"

"I don't know…"

"Of course!" Wayne piped up behind them. "Y'all were very patient, waiting on me like that. And you," he said, gesturing to Maru, "must be Miss Maru."

"Yes, sir, nice to meet you!" She shook Wayne's hand with all the confidence of someone who couldn't care less about a person's fame.

"You as well. Miss Penny here told me some wonderful things about you." Wayne pushed the curtain aside. "Now get out there and check out the view, this is something that not many people get to see!"

As they stepped onto the stage, the house lights went down and a spotlight lit them up.

"I was hoping for a quiet moment alone with you tonight," Maru said. She wrapped her arms around Penny and gave her a soft kiss. "Have you had a good time?"

"This has been amazing!" Penny laughed. "I can't believe you got us backstage! And on stage! And the dancing, and the ice cream before the show...even the bus ride over was fun with you around!"

"Thank you. I'm so glad. I hope it made your heart soar, because that's what you do for me. I love you, Penny." She reached in her pocket and pulled out a necklace with a long, twisted blue shell and pressed it into Penny's hand. "More than anything, I want to be your wife. Will you marry me? Please?"

"YES!" Penny squealed. She threw her arms around Maru, who picked her up and swung her around. As she put the necklace on, she heard the swish of the curtains and the first few notes of the song her and Maru had danced to that night in the town square. The stagehand and the radio hosts applauded as Maru and Penny spun around the stage, sharing their first dance as an engaged couple.


End file.
